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Michigan: "Right to Work" Pending Law

The Michigan legislature is set to take up and likely approve a controversial "right-to-work" bill aimed at organized labor on Tuesday.

Several prominent Michigan Democrats met with Republican Gov. Rick Snyder on Monday in an effort to convince him not to sign the bill, which cleared some legislative hurdles last week.

On Tuesday, labor unions are planning massive protests at the Michigan Statehouse in Lansing as the Assembly and Senate prepare to take final action on the legislation. Two school districts in the Detroit metro area have said they will close because so many teachers are planning to take personal leave days to travel to Lansing to be present for the vote.

But with Republicans holding a strong majority in both chambers, passage is considered virtually certain.

The bill would allow workers at union-represented employers to not pay dues even though the union would be bargaining on their behalf.

Advocates of the bill say it will help attract businesses to the state, but critics say that it would weaken labor's bargaining strength by cutting union financial resources without doing anything to bring in more jobs.

There are 23 states which have the right-to-work laws, mostly in the South and western Plains states, where union membership is relatively weak. Michigan, where 17.5% of the workers are represented by unions, would be by far the most heavily unionized state to pass such legislation.

The Democrats, including Sen. Carl Levin and seven members of the House delegation, said afterward that Snyder told them he would "seriously consider" their concerns about the bill. But Snyder has praised the measure, saying it would help attract jobs and provide choice to workers.

Related: Michigan vote could be big blow to labor

Snyder's office did not have an immediate comment on his view of the meeting with the Democrats. But a spokesman for Jase Bolger, speaker of the Michigan House, mocked the idea of Congressional Democrats pushing for a delay on the bill.

"Congressional Democrats are trying to tell Republicans in Michigan to slow down and not do our job in Lansing while they fail to resolve the nation's fiscal cliff crisis or even approve a budget," said Ari Adler, the speaker's spokesman. "Maybe they should spend less time lecturing others and focus on getting their own jobs done first."

Snyder told CNN on Friday that he had already had a lot of discussion on the issue with labor leaders and Democrats, and that he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk.

"I had said right-to-work was not on my agenda," he told CNN. "It's a divisive issue, and we had higher priorities. What was happening after the election, this issue was coming up whether I wanted it or not. I'm ready to sign."

They know this will be a short term loss but a long term win. The more states they can hit labor unions hard, the less states Democrats can win in. On a nationwide election, Democrats can still compete but in statewide elections. But in state elections, where the unlimited money can have its strongest impact, you will see less and less Democratic influence.

The GOP knows this all-to-well and has galvenized their supporters to despise unions and to want to crush them from the face of the earth. They have seeped their money and message into the idea that unions are responsible for job loss and the middle classes' problems. They have gotten people to ignore the very strong correlation between unionization rates and share of income as a percentage over the last 50 years that traces almost perfectly.

They know this will be a short term loss but a long term win. The more states they can hit labor unions hard, the less states Democrats can win in. On a nationwide election, Democrats can still compete but in statewide elections. But in state elections, where the unlimited money can have its strongest impact, you will see less and less Democratic influence.

The GOP knows this all-to-well and has galvenized their supporters to despise unions and to want to crush them from the face of the earth. They have seeped their money and message into the idea that unions are responsible for job loss and the middle classes' problems. They have gotten people to ignore the very strong correlation between unionization rates and share of income as a percentage over the last 50 years that traces almost perfectly.

This.

Right-to-work is just an evolved(and less extreme) version of union-busting. Make no mistake, Republicans are trying to effectively crush unions all-together.

This is a travesty and an end-run around democracy. The lame-duck legislators are giving the voting public a big middle finger on the way out the door. The Governor had already agreed not to sign a bill like this, before being re-elected. Now he has, immediately after, changed his mind.

1 Kings 11:3: “He (Solomon) had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.” -- Biblical marriage. One man, seven hundred women.

Indiana did Right to Work and now are claiming 31 companies with 3700 jobs within a year are the reason for them coming to Indiana. Now we have had more then 31 companies and more then 3700 jobs come to Indiana but 31 noted it as one of the main reasons for coming.

They know this will be a short term loss but a long term win. The more states they can hit labor unions hard, the less states Democrats can win in. On a nationwide election, Democrats can still compete but in statewide elections. But in state elections, where the unlimited money can have its strongest impact, you will see less and less Democratic influence.

The GOP knows this all-to-well and has galvenized their supporters to despise unions and to want to crush them from the face of the earth. They have seeped their money and message into the idea that unions are responsible for job loss and the middle classes' problems. They have gotten people to ignore the very strong correlation between unionization rates and share of income as a percentage over the last 50 years that traces almost perfectly.

I'm a really anti-union guy. But not because I've been "galvanized" by the Republican elite or anything.

One reason is my free market ideology. I think barriers to entry into a market are not a good thing.

The other is because I come from the group of people who had their tires slashed by union workers.

The non-profit, non-partisan Economic Policy Institute conducted a study in 2011 that makes the argument that Right to Work states have lower wages for non-union workers, has failed to create jobs, and that the quality of working conditions has decreased(amongst other findings). Interesting read:

LOL@ BMD and GCOL
It frustrates me to find inteligent people subscribe to ideas that hurt them directly.
Its like trying to reason with drug addicts.

Buisnesses wanted greater profits.
WHY?
Becasue thats what they do...no problem there.
But greater competition made things difficult, so how do they respond?
By attacking the biggest controllable expense a buisness has...payroll.
so they out source jobs ,be it overseas or otherwise, and now you are heralding their return when they are offering half of what they were before.
Profits havent been lost, so where did the workers additional wages go?
straight into the pockets of the plutocrats, management /owner class.how do you not understand this?
They ,(and apparently YOU) Will not be happy until we are down to pennies on the dollar, and the top 1 percent is wippingtheirasses with 100 dollar bills.

Good lord fellas wake up,you approach these issues like your picking a favorite sports franchise and you "need" to stick with your team through thick and thin, THIS country is its people, not its corporations,If a company has to accept 2% growth to allow for people to have a livable wage then thats what they should have to do.

You keep on believeing that YOU TOO can enjoy the riches of the "free Market" if you work hard ,and that is the same foolish myth that lures people into wasting their savings in Vegas.

LOL@ BMD and GCOL
It frustrates me to find inteligent people subscribe to ideas that hurt them directly.
Its like trying to reason with drug addicts.

Buisnesses wanted greater profits.
WHY?
Becasue thats what they do...no problem there.
But greater competition made things difficult, so how do they respond?
By attacking the biggest controllable expense a buisness has...payroll.
so they out source jobs ,be it overseas or otherwise, and now you are heralding their return when they are offering half of what they were before.
Profits havent been lost, so where did the workers additional wages go?
straight into the pockets of the plutocrats, management /owner class.how do you not understand this?
They ,(and apparently YOU) Will not be happy until we are down to pennies on the dollar, and the top 1 percent is wippingtheirasses with 100 dollar bills.

Good lord fellas wake up,you approach these issues like your picking a favorite sports franchise and you "need" to stick with your team through thick and thin, THIS country is its people, not its corporations,If a company has to accept 2% growth to allow for people to have a livable wage then thats what they should have to do.

You keep on believeing that YOU TOO can enjoy the riches of the "free Market" if you work hard ,and that is the same foolish myth that lures people into wasting their savings in Vegas.

You can stop with the LOL at people trolling anytime

I'm stating facts. Indiana enacted it and 31 companies sighted it as the reason for coming which I stated, I didn't even say my personal thoughts on the matter.

Indiana did Right to Work and now are claiming 31 companies with 3700 jobs within a year are the reason for them coming to Indiana. Now we have had more then 31 companies and more then 3700 jobs come to Indiana but 31 noted it as one of the main reasons for coming.

I'm sure lots of companies cite the cheap labor by outsourcing jobs to poor countries in SE Asia, doesn't make it right.

Now, I went to an extreme there, but to make a statement. Companies will always go where they can pay their workers least and give them the least. It is inevitable. We have to protect the workers rights to basic human decencies.

I think the key is finding balance between how far we are willing to intrude on the marketplace to ensure these rights.

I'm sure lots of companies cite the cheap labor by outsourcing jobs to poor countries in SE Asia, doesn't make it right.

Now, I went to an extreme there, but to make a statement. Companies will always go where they can pay their workers least and give them the least. It is inevitable. We have to protect the workers rights to basic human decencies.

I think the key is finding balance between how far we are willing to intrude on the marketplace to ensure these rights.

I agree, the corporation's #1 motive is profit, not worker's rights(which is the claim of motive for this bill). Of course they're going to support it, b/c corporations are inherently biased against unions. Less unions means more individual corporate power.

I think we need to take the opinions of corporations with a grain of salt. If you've noticed, business leaders are ALWAYS complaining they have it bad. There is intense pressure to produce profit every quarter, so they're looking to cut costs wherever and however possible.

I'm sure lots of companies cite the cheap labor by outsourcing jobs to poor countries in SE Asia, doesn't make it right.

Now, I went to an extreme there, but to make a statement. Companies will always go where they can pay their workers least and give them the least. It is inevitable. We have to protect the workers rights to basic human decencies.

I think the key is finding balance between how far we are willing to intrude on the marketplace to ensure these rights.

And by bypassing the unions and not just compensation and huge huge benefit packages that price them out of the game, they can function in the states without going to SE asia.

The non-profit, non-partisan Economic Policy Institute conducted a study in 2011 that makes the argument that Right to Work states have lower wages for non-union workers, has failed to create jobs, and that the quality of working conditions has decreased(amongst other findings). Interesting read:

The Economic Policy Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit American think tank based in Washington, D.C. EPI presents a liberal viewpoint on economic issues.

First line in its wikipedia page. If your first line about an organization is non-partisan, you can be sure that organization is partisan as ****.

I looked through their Board of Directors and did some minor research and didn't find some "liberal bias", but anybody can trust Wikipedia if they want, up to them. The references on the Wiki page shows some newspapers have described the EPI as being "liberal".

I guess it's just up to the individual to look at the facts and decide.

I looked through their Board of Directors and did some minor research and didn't find some "liberal bias", but anybody can trust Wikipedia if they want, up to them. The references on the Wiki page shows some newspapers have described the EPI as being "liberal".

I guess it's just up to the individual to look at the facts and decide.

Every think tank has some sort of serious bias.

I googled liberal economic policy institute, under epi.org (so from their own webpage) I got "A study by the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal-leaning research organization, concluded that almost three-quarters of them live in poverty."